


Whirling Roses of Freedom

by pandorabox82



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-11
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:48:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23107222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pandorabox82/pseuds/pandorabox82
Summary: When Penelope discovers a string of connected suspicious deaths over the years, she starts to dig into just who is committing them and why. But the answers she gets just lead to more questions, until she is embroiled in something much deeper than she was ever prepared to uncover.
Relationships: Alex Blake/Erin Strauss, Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/William LaMontagne Jr.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

Penelope frowned a little as JJ set down their next round of drinks. "What's wrong? Please do not tell me that you have to go work a case for the red cell team tonight of all night!"

She shook her head a little as she picked up her phone, looking at the notification that had pinged her attention in the first place. "No, it's nothing like that. I hate to talk shop on one of our few nights of freedom, but do you think that you'd be up to hearing a story of a theory that I have?"

Her best friend let out a soft sigh before nodding. "I suppose that I could be up for that. What's on your mind?" she asked before taking a sip of her beer. Penelope cracked her back and then her neck, trying to find the right words to explain what she had been tracking to JJ without seeming completely insane. "Come on, you can tell me. I promise that I'll listen with an open mind."

"Fine. I know that it will sound out there, but…for the last seven years, I've been tracking some weird deaths across Europe and North America. There have been a few in Japan and South Korea, as well, but for the most part, they've been concentrated in those two continents."

"A lot of deaths are weird, Penelope. That hardly constitutes something to be worried about."

She let out a deep sigh. "I know that, you just didn't let me finish my thought before interrupting me. These deaths have all been people who are extremely shady in their private lives, who have hid their sins well. However, when these cases first raised my interest, I went digging into their pasts and found that there were all reasons why someone might want them dead." Penelope paused as she picked up her drink and took a sip. "These people are super skeevy, Jayje, and I don't mind them not being in the world any longer, but I'm absolutely bothered by the fact that they were, for all intents and purposes, assassinated."

"Okay, that is a little weird. But just how did you know how to connect these deaths?"

Penelope could see from the look in JJ's eyes that she had finally gotten her attention, and she took a deep breath as she pulled her tablet from her purse and set it on the table. "I am so glad that you asked. Don't worry, none of these pictures are gory, in fact, that's one of the weirder aspects of this case. There is relatively little blood in any of the places these people are found. It is clear that they were taken care of in place, but they were also taken care of cleanly. Whoever is doing this, they're good, and they want to make things easy on the crime scene investigators and the people who are tasked with cleaning up afterwards." She tapped on the screen, quickly diving into her personal Dropbox and then into the correct subfolder, which she had buried deeply enough that no one would be able to find it unless they knew exactly what to look for, and the likelihood of that occurring was quite small.

"Geez, PG, are you that paranoid about things?"

"Yes. You remember the two cases where when I wasn't quite so careful were extremely disastrous for our team? Or the one case where I didn't listen to my gut and the consequences were catastrophic?"

JJ looked a bit mollified by that statement and gave her a small nod. "I suppose that you're right, yeah. Now, how about I take a look at these pictures and see if I can pick out what set off alarm bells in your head." Penelope gave her a small nod as she pushed the tablet over to JJ before picking up her drink and nursing it, her eyes never leaving JJ's face as she flicked through the pictures, sometimes zooming in on portions that Penelope knew contained the clues that she had picked up on. "Huh."

"Huh, what?" she asked, trying not to sound smug as she did so, knowing that it was a bit ugly to gloat over being right, especially when there were future lives at stake.

"I think that I may have picked up on the clue that binds all these cases together. There's an origami cat located near the body in each case. And each one is made out of the same paper, which lends further credence to your notion that this is the same unsub. Is there anything else that is similar between them?"

Penelope shook her head as she took the tablet back from JJ, stuffing it into her purse as she signaled to their server for another drink. "I wish that I could find another similarity in these cases, since they are all across the board. In some cases, they're not even reported as a murder, just a suspicious death, because there is literally nothing to indicate that they were murdered, beyond the origami cat. I've tried to find other cases using those search parameters, and that's how I went from four cases to eight. This is something real that's happening in the background, and I think that we have a right to be concerned about this spreading into something larger."

"Eight cases in seven years isn't that incredibly concerning, that it would need immediate attention from the entire BAU."

"No, but I just need to know that I'm not crazy. There really is a link between these cases, yes?"

"Yes, there is. But I suppose that we'll have to find some way to keep these cases open and relevant to us, because now that we've established the pattern, we can see if there are other cases out there."

"Thank you for believing me, Jayje." She gave her best friend a quick smile before taking her fresh drink from the server's hands. "Another question for you. Since the majority of these cases are located in the United States…" JJ went to protest her words, only for Penelope to shake her head. "I know, with eight cases, three being a majority is tenuous at best. But, since there were also three cases located in Europe, do you think that if we present this data to Emily, she'll allow me to have access to Interpol's data and search out to see if there are more cases that I've missed?"

"We can try, there's no harm in that. I just wouldn't hold out very much hope that she'll agree to pull strings for us with only that small link between suspicious deaths and a few outright murders." Penelope let out a small sigh as she nodded. "Now, to get back onto happier topics, Will and I are going to start trying for another baby. I've always wanted three kids, after all."

"Oh, my gosh, and hopefully this time you get to have the little girl you always wanted. What do we need to do to make certain that happens for you guys?"

"Honestly? The next weekend we're home, if you want to watch the boys so that Will and I can have that special adult time that we're both missing, that would be lovely."

"Spend time with my godsons? Do you even need to ask twice? I can definitely do that for you." Reaching across the table, she grabbed hold of JJ's hand, squeezing it tightly before starting to bop around to the sound of the song in the air, a thousand thoughts running through her head about just how she would present this case to Emily in order to get the results that she wanted.


	2. Chapter 2

"Are you really certain that you want to do this, PG?

She turned to look at JJ, giving her a frustrated look as she nodded her head. "It's now or never, Jayje. Since we both agree that there is more to this than mere coincidence, I need to have the correct resources at my disposal so that I can track down any new cases that might tie to these previous ones. I just hate to imagine what might happen if we don't get a handle on it sooner rather than later. There's always the possibility that not only are there more cases out there, but this unsub could snap and start to go on a spree, leaving death in his wake."

"I'm not so certain that it is a man."

Penelope felt her brow furrow as she tried to parse what JJ was saying. "What makes you think that it's a woman?" she finally asked as the elevator came to a stop on their floor.

Stepping out, she followed her friend over to her desk and then took a seat on the corner of it as she watched JJ get settled in for the day. "I just have this feeling. Things are too neat and purposeful, while also being unobtrusive. I don't know, it just feels like this is a woman, deep in my heart."

"Huh, I'll put that into the barebones dossier I have on this unsub, then. I'm going to run up to my office, start my systems, and then grab coffee before we head up to Emily's office. Do you want me to get you anything will I'm in the break room?"

"No, I'll get my coffee while I'm waiting for you," JJ replied absently as she turned her computer on, and Penelope gave her shoulder a soft squeeze before getting to her feet and heading up the stairs to her office. After hanging her jacket up on the hook, she went over to her desk and turned on her system, listening to the soothing sounds of the fans whirring in tandem as she stuffed her purse in the drawer and then grabbing her coffee mug off the desk and heading down to the break room. JJ was there, along with Anderson, and she gave the man a little nod as she went over to the coffee pot and poured herself a full mug, leaning against the counter as she watched them talk.

"What do you think, Garcia? Will the Director finally move personnel around on the Alpha team? You've been at seven members plus you for a little too long, and there's no way that that is sustainable."

She rolled her eyes a little as she shrugged, pouring more coffee in the mug to replace what she'd drank. "I think that as long as we're getting the results that the Director likes, we won't have to worry about losing any members. Why? Have you heard differently?" she asked as she went over to their sides, looking Anderson in the eye. He squirmed a little under her scrutiny, and she tried to smile in order to put him at ease, even though she felt her heart lurch in her chest a little at the thought of perhaps losing one of her friends to another team. Though she wouldn't be that sorry to see Luke go, since his flirting had gotten a little out of control over the last few months, and knowing that he was still dating Lisa just made her feel all the more unsettled by it.

"No, I haven't heard any more rumblings about that lately, just that the Director is thinking of retiring, and you know that there are usually structural changes to go along with that before he leaves. In the past, there's always been bloat trim, and with your team being as large as it is, well, I would expect that to start here."

"I'll keep that in mind," she replied absently as she saw Emily enter the bullpen, a placid smile on her face telling Penelope that it was a good morning so far. "Well, I hate to cut this chat short, but Jayje and I have to see Emily about something before we get down to business today. Swing up and see me at lunchtime, I want to pick your brain a little more about this topic."

"Sounds like a plan, Garcia. I'll bring by Thai food around one, and we can have a nice long chat." He waggled his fingers at them before they turned and made their way out of the breakroom.

"Do you have any idea how you're going to frame this, Penelope?" JJ asked as they started up the stairs.

"With the same pictures that I showed you. When she sees it, she'll be certain to put us in contact with Clyde, or whoever is in charge now, and we can proceed from there. Do you want to wait here for me, or come into my office?"

"I'll wait here, since that means you'll be quicker to get back here."

Penelope let out a little chuckle as she nodded, patting JJ's arm before hurrying over to her office and grabbing her tablet before making her way back to JJ's side. "All right, let's get this done." JJ nodded and followed closely at her side as they went over to Emily's office. Penelope didn't knock before entering, knowing that they'd be briefing a new case in a little bit anyway. "Good morning, Em."

Their boss looked up from her paperwork, giving Penelope a confused smile as she motioned for them to take a seat. "What can I do for you?"

"I need you to look over some crime scene photos for me. Well, they're not all crime scenes, per se, since some were just suspicious deaths that needed to be investigated, but well, take a look for yourself, and then I'll fill you in. It's better to look without my tainting your thoughts."

Emily pursed her lips a little as she accepted the tablet from Penelope, starting to scroll through the images, pausing a few times to zoom in on certain parts. Penelope felt a little deflated when she didn't pick out every origami cat. Finally, she reached the end of the pictures and passed the tablet back to Penelope. "All right, so I'm assuming that what you wanted me to find were the origami cats in each scene. Yes?" She nodded. "And I'm also assuming that you think there's a connection here?"

"Yes. I know, there doesn't seem to be much of a connection beyond that, but we've worked with less as a team. It's just that these cases are so spread out over time and geography that I don't think anyone has put it together before. I know that it's unorthodox, but do you think that it would be possible to perhaps keep tabs on this? And to contact Clyde and use his resources?"

Emily shook her head. "I'm sorry, but no. This would be a waste of our resources, and with the way things are going right now, I just can't sanction something like this happening. You need to keep your focus on the cases that we can close well, not some ghost that you're trying to chase. Drop it, okay?"

Penelope struggled to keep her face a placid mask as she nodded, though she did throw a quick look JJ's way as she got to her feet. "All right, we'll see you soon for the briefing," she replied shortly before leaving the office, JJ hot on her heels. "Are you coming to my office?" she bit out, feeling sadness and anger at war in her heart.

"That is the plan," JJ replied evenly, and she gave her a short nod as she tried not to stomp over to her door, though she did enter her passcode with a little more force than normal, letting out some of her aggravation that way. "All right, what's your plan now? We're not going to give this up, are we?"

"You suddenly want to help me out with this? What changed your mind?"

"Seeing how dismissive Emily was of you. Like, even I know that there is a link there, and that it should be explored, and we were just shut down. So, what are we going to do about that?"

"Since this can't be an officially sanctioned case, we're going to need a mobile command center of sorts. My place does not have an extra room, but I know that you have a home office. Do you think Will would mind if we took it over for as long as it takes to figure this out?"

"If he does, that's on him. I'll tell him that you're coming over tonight to do some work in our home office, and I know that the boys will enjoy having their auntie Penelope over for supper. Somehow, we are going to figure out if this is mere coincidence or if there really is something more sinister at play." Penelope nodded, smiling back at JJ before stuffing the tablet back into her purse and starting to get things ready for the day ahead.


	3. Chapter 3

"Explain to me again what's going on here, _cher_?" Will asked as he leaned against the doorway of the home office that Penelope had commandeered as their own earlier that week. She gave him a small smile before shoving a small stack of photographs into his hands, beckoning him a little further into their new sanctuary. "I know that Jen said this was something the two of you were working on during your off time, but this seems a little more involved than a simple cold case."

"That's because it's not a simple cold case, Will. But I'm not certain that you knowing what's going on will make any difference."

Penelope gave JJ a quick wink before reaching out and tugging her best friend into the room with her. "So, what do you think about what I've done here? I think that I've managed to get everything arranged for ease of information gathering, and since the world map was delivered yesterday, I used my lunch hour to print out all the scenes, so that we can try and start a geographical profile." Turning to look at Will, she saw that he was still looking at them in confusion. "I think that we can let him in, Jayje. I mean, this is his house, too, and I am going to be spending a lot of time here, sometimes without you."

"Are you certain? Remember, Emily didn't believe us."

"Yeah, but you have one thing going for you that we didn't have with Em. You're sleeping with Will."

JJ laughed deeply, even as Will blushed a little, looking away from them. "Well, I suppose that you do have a point there. All right, Will, as we tack these pictures up on the wall, we'll tell you a little about what's going on here." He nodded as they all went over to the long, blank, wall that Penelope had cleared earlier in the week in order to have a set up exactly like this. "But you'll have to do the heavy lifting, Penny, since you were the one who first noticed the correlation."

"I can do that, Jayje." Taking the first picture off the stack in Will's hands, she pressed some fun tack on the back so that it would stick to the wall without damaging it too badly. As JJ began to run a length of string from the labelled picture to where the body was found, Penelope let out a deep breath. "I don't really know how this caught my attention, I just came across them when I was looking for unsolved murders. I don't think that I would have paid it any mind, really, if I wasn't trying to take my mind off everything that happened with Reid and Jayje being held hostage a few months ago. In these twelve cases…"

"Twelve? You've found four more this week?"

She glanced over at JJ, giving her a small nod. "I was talking with Prophet, and he mentioned that their team had seen a case like that and had never found the unsub, and when I went trawling through their backlog of cases, I not only found that case, but three others from the other two teams working for the BAU. Again, twelve is such a small pool, but the fact that I've found four more in such short order lends credence to my belief that something hinky is going on. I just wish that Emily had actually believed us and that we could have some additional support, but that's just going to push me harder to seek out these cases and tie them all together, so that we can present a logical case to her and get her to bring the rest of the team on board."

"Wait, Emily knows about this, but doesn't want you to follow up?" Will asked, sounding incredulous.

"I know, I know. She mentioned something about our team being under such scrutiny lately, especially since we have so many members currently, and Dave isn't showing any signs of retiring this side of the century. So I get the fact that she might want to walk the straight and narrow for a little while, but would it really have hurt her to at least let us talk to Clyde Easter and get access to Interpol's records?" Penelope let out a huff of frustration as she placed the next photo on the wall, pressing with a little more force than before, since she found herself becoming more irritated at the no that they had received from Emily. She hadn't even truly listened to Penelope, just dismissed their idea as crackpot.

"Well, you guys did work with him when you were tracking down that Doyle character. Did you get along with him, _cher_?"

"Yeah, and we worked really well together when I was in London with Derek."

"What's to stop you from just contacting him on your own, then?"

She paused before looking over at JJ, feeling her mouth drop open a little as she continued to stare at her best friend. "Why didn't we think of that?" JJ asked as she attached the next string to the picture Penelope had attached to the wall.

"Because we allowed our frustration to cloud our judgement. Damn, I feel dumb now. Thank you, Will."

"That's what I'm good at. They didn't make me a detective for my pretty face, after all." Penelope giggled as she nodded, feeling a little of her frustration leave her body as they continued to get everything up on the map. Now that she could see how everything was laid out, she could see that there really wasn't a geographical correlation to be had there. "Can I make a suggestion?"

"Of course!"

He rested his hand on Penelope's shoulder as he looked the map over. "I would probably redo all the strings, since we can all clearly see that there's no rhyme or reason to where these deaths occur. Instead, I would get different colored strings, one for each year, and see what pattern starts to emerge after doing that."

"Ooh, that is a good idea! Thank you!" Turning to Will, she pecked his cheek lightly before giving him a tight hug. "I am so glad that Jayje married you. Who knows where we'd be with this without your input?"

"Well, I'm certain you would have come up with the idea before too long, you both are incredibly smart women. But I do have another question. Since this is going to be taking place in our house, I think that I should at least have a hand in helping you with this. So, would you like to have another pair of eyes taking a look at this data?"

Penelope released a long breath as she watched JJ. She knew that she would be fine with Will helping them out, since he was a detective, but she didn't want to answer before JJ had given her answer. "I suppose that would be fine, Will. After all, you're home more than I am, so you can help Penelope and me with this. And it will be good to have someone removed from the BAU looking over our data, to ensure that we're not just tilting at windmills."

"Yeah, I think that it would be great to have you on our team, Will. We can be like the three musketeers!" JJ laughed as she nodded, and suddenly Penelope didn't feel quite so alone in this endeavor. Between the three of them, they would figure out everything that was going on here, and hopefully bring the unsub to justice soon, so that there would be no further weird deaths.


End file.
